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Walk with google maps-the augmented reality way

To help and guide people to their destination Google is introducing a navigation system feature in its Google Maps app that uses augmented reality.Google Maps use your camera to identify your surroundings, visually communicate your route right in front of your eyes.Augmented Reality(AR) is a technology that overlays a computer-generated contents onto a user’s view of the real world. Google has been providing the street view with a direction marker. A new Augmented Reality feature that is going to combine Google’s existing Street View and Map with a live feed from your phone’s camera to overlay walking directions on top of the real-world view to help us figure out the exact way we need to go. It is a lot like the promises Google had made with the original version of Google Glass, except without the need for wearing an additional AR headset.
As you walk, your phone screen is split into two with a map image of your vicinity and the video stream from your camera. An arrow indicates which way you should proceed, with the on-screen map’s orientation at the bottom rotating as your position changes in the real-world street. For those who’ve found their internal compass shutting off at a perplexing intersection, the feature sounds like a godsend. It could also help to fix distracted walking in our smartphone-centric culture.When you activate the feature, your phone’s camera view will tell you which street you’re on, along with the upcoming directions.Another nice touch to AR directions is AR animals that can guide you on where you need to go. Building upon the AR capabilities of Google Maps, the app will also be able to identify nearby places and give you information about them without you having to leave the comfort of your navigation. This is really nice, as you will get information about popular landmarks and check them out without leaving the comfort of the Google Maps app.
The camera-powered Google Maps can also act as a helpful search engine. Simply point your camera down a street, and the app can identify restaurants and display their user ratings.For You in Google Maps will feature recommendations that have been tailored for you. So if you like Pizza, the app will recommend a Pizza place that you are close to. If you dislike Pizza, then the recommendation will not appear on the app for you. This will be applicable to a user based on his preferences, reviews and more.